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RARBIA BAB ATS 


SERTRUDE PORTRR ABSIILEY — 








ve Old Corner Book 
Store, Inc. 
oston, - Mass, 

















COLOR -STUDIES 
FOR 
RAFFIA BASKETS 





ROSE AND BUD 


SoLOR STUDIES 


FOR 


feoetA BASKETS 


GERTRUDE PORTER ASHLEY 


DEERFIELD, MASS. 


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ILLUSTRATIONS 


Rose and Bud 

Rose and Bud on neutral background 
Pansy 

Deerfield Violets 

Conventional Border (a) 
Conventional Border (b) 

Color Study | 
Autumn Leaves 

Wreath of Roses 

Forget-me-nots 

Flower Spray in orange and blue 


Butterflies and Pansies 


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DEDICATED 
to the members of 


THE SOCIETY OF DEERFIELD INDUSTRIES 


with whom as a charter member the author 
has worked for more than twenty-five years. 





Pee eerie El DESIGNS 


FOR BEGINNERS 


The average rafha basket is scarcely 
worth the trouble of making because of 
inferior workmanship, uninteresting colors 
and designs. It may, however, with a 
knowledge of the details which go to per- 
fect the workmanship, the combining of 
soft colors which are permanent, into even 
simple designs, be an object of art with 
all the possibilities of line, color and de- 
sign. 

The novice in raffia basket making 
usually makes a row or more of some. color 
near the top of the basket which, after a 
short space of natural color is repeated 

[9] 





PANSY 


RAFFIA BASKET DESIGNS 


with a broader band of another color. 
This may all be very well until the worker 
has acquired a good technique, which is 
the foundation of all craft work. Few be- 
ginners have much idea about design or 
color, and the entire attention at first is 
‘centered on the technical difficulties. After 
a few lessons when the basket 1s approach- 
ing completion, the pupil is ready and 
anxious to work with colors, and has be- 
come sufficiently advanced to work out a 
simple pattern. 

For the past three years this collec- 
tion of designs and many others have been 
used in teaching rafha basketry, with much 
success and great interest on the part of 
the pupil, who feels that he has something 
definite to follow; for in working out this 
plan, the pupil learns to change from one 
color to another, and something of color 
and design. He also finds the result much 

[11] 





PerrraeeGASKET DESIGNS 


more pleasing than if he had made a few 
straight lines around the basket. Very 
likely he will soon find that he can make 
his own designs, which is far more to be 
desired, for who, being able to create, 
would wish to follow the ideas of another. 

The stitches, tho not indicated in the 
following illustrations, are to be placed as 
inconspicuously as possible, usually at the 
beginning and end of each color. For ex- 
ample, in Ill. No. 1 where the lower row 
of design has a short space of green on a 
background of white or natural raffa, the 
stitch which joins the two rows should be 
taken with the white rather than with the 
green. This makes the outline clear-cut. 
The green color is then smoothly wound 
over the reed for the desired space and the 
stitch again taken with the white for the 
peeeeedson. KEEP THE OUTLYNE 
CLEAR-CUT isa good rule to establish, 

[13] | 





RAFFIA BASKET DESIGNS 


tho there may be times when it is difficult 
to do so. Practically every stitch in the 
entire basket should be considered as part 
of a design, no stitch being taken hap-haz- 
ard. In other words—every stitch has a 
definite meaning for the intelligent worker. 
In considering designs one must always 
have in mind the thought that the stitch 
or group of stitches must be placed suff- 
ciently close together to give the necessary 
support to the basket. 

Many flowers are two complicated in 
form to lend themselves to designs for 
raffia baskets. Some, however are adapted 
both in form and color, and these may be 
reproduced with great satisfaction. The 
pansy with its many varieties of rich colors 
is one of these, and even a small design 
may be well arranged on a fairly large 
basket if placed at sufficiently close inter- 
vals. A small basket requires less shading 

[15] 





emarrIA BASKET DESIGNS 


than a large one, and should be simple in 
design. A design may be developed in a 
variety of colors on the same basket. For 
example, the rose design may be red, pink 
or yellow or even all three in a group or 
wreath. It may be large or small accord- 
ing to the size of the reed: — placed soli- 
tary, in group or continuous: —of one 
solid color or shaded: — with background 
of gray or some other neutral: — with or 
without cover. Always keep to the stand- 
ard of simple lines, however varied the 
form may be, and bear in mind the use for 
which the basket was intended. 

There may be handles on the sides or 
over the top, of which there are many 
varieties from which to choose. What an 
interesting experiment might be tried by 
making a collection of baskets with the 
pansy for motif, each differing from the 
other in form, size and color! 

[17] 


AGNLS YWOTOD 





RAFFIA BASKET DESIGNS 


Flowers which are too difficult in form 
are often very desirable for color combina- 
tions, beginning with a centre of white, 
yellow or orange, which is so often seen in 
the centre of a flower. If the basket is 
intended for use, too much decoration at. - 
this point is undesirable, as it is usually 
covered. Follow this by a wide neutral 
space which may be made very interesting 
with geometrical designs sufficiently close 
to be strong. Begin the border when half- 
way up the sides using soft and quiet tones 


at first, and in groups, rather than in ~ 
straight rows around the basket. Make 


each row more interesting than the one 
preceding, by deepening the tones already 
introduced, and add others which gradually 
lead to the prevailing color in the flower 
which was suggested for a model. 

The hollyhock has many varieties of 
color and almost any one of them would 

[19] 





Peete ri A BASKET DESIGNS 


result in a pleasing combination. There 
are autumn leaves in all shades of yellow, 
brown, green and red. There are colors 
in sunset skies with scarcely perceptible 
beginning or ending — just a passing from 
gray into yellow, orange or rose into deep- 
er gray or blue. This is what we try to 
suggest in our basketry color studies mak- 
ing the colors intertwine and overlap. The 
result is usually very satisfying, and mean- 
while the worker 1s unconsciously develop- 
ing his sense of color harmony directly 
from nature instead of by a chart or just 
merely guessing at a combination which 
may or may not result happily. 

The stitches best adapted to floral 
designs are the LAZY SQUAW and the 
WINDING stitch. For a conventional 
design almost any stitch may be used. 
The solid BLOCK stitch gives strength 
and character as a finish to the bottom of 

[21 ] 





mRArYFOA BASKET DESIGNS 


the basket, and it may be made of alternat- 
ing colors, every other block of which is 
started on the row above. The single 
block is made by sewing or winding over 
two rows, which results in a wide row quite 
around the basket. Fora finish, KNOT 
stitch best serves the purpose, often using a 
large reed, which adds strength, especially 
if handles are made. 

The entire basket may be made of lazy 
squaw stitch, but it requires much time 
and patience, and unless very well made, 
wearies with its monotony. A more in- 
teresting development, which requires less 
time and patience, and which with practise 
may be made firm, is made by winding the 
rafha very smoothly over the reed for the 
space of half an inch or so, finishing it 
with a lazy squaw stitch, which must be 
made quite firm. These two stitches al- 
ternate thruout the row, keeping the 

[23] 


SLON-YW-LADNON 





mares BPASKET DESIGNS 


winding smooth and the reed well cover- 
ed. The following row is made in like 
manner, except that a lazy squaw stitch is 
placed on either side of the single stitch 
in the row below, making the space be- 
tween smaller. The third row of this pat- 
tern is like the first, placing one stitch 
between the two in the second row, which 
completes the small diamond design. Fol- 
lowing out this idea of grouping lazy 
squaw stitches with winding space be- 
tween results in very interesting geometri- 
cal designs all in one color. A basket of 
this type requires less decoration. 


Peso oe CH PATTERNS 


By drawing vertical lines thru these 
designs, they are equally well adapted to 
cross stitch embroidery, the spaces be- 
tween the lines representing the size of 

[25] 





RAFFIA BASKET DESIGNS 


the stitch. The reverse does not so well 
apply, as cross stitch designs are not 
shaped to fit the form of the basket. Raf- 
fia basket craft offers a wide field to one 
who has a love for design and color. The 
materials required are few and inexpen- 
_ sive, and no especial tools are necessary. 
Unlike weaving, which demands an expen- 
sive loom and a large space to place it, 
one may work anywhere, carrying the 
materials in a small bag. Each basket 
is a fresh experiment, and in its creation 
one learns to observe much both in nature 
and in art which might otherwise pass 
unnoticed. The color sense is quickened, 
and this feeling for color opens a new 
world of beauty in which there is as keen 
a delight as for the lover of music who 
hears fine music. 


[27 ] 


SHISNVd GNV SAITAMA LLOAA 





OTHER BOOKS 
BY 
GERTRUDE AND MILDRED ASHLEY 
Rafha Basketry as a Fine Art 
Raffia Basketry as an Art (enlarged) 
BY 
GERTRUDE ASHLEY 


Portfolio of Designs (in black and white) 


1915 


1922 


RAS) 























